The Spirit Ruins
by ClockworkCaptain
Summary: Korra chases a loved one through a desert in the Spirit World.


Colors and prompt: Blue: Peace, Black: Alone, White: Innocent

Prompts: Spirit World, No Dialogue, and Tragedy

Element: Water

Words: 1654

The Spirit Ruins

Korra stood at the edge of a desert in the spirit world. Black poles with red and gold flags marked the desert's boarders. The wind kicked up the sand sending it hurtling towards the boarder but it never ventured past the flags. Korra wasn't sure what drew her to this place but her whole soul seemed to be pulled toward it. Out in the distance she could see a large pyramid shaped monolith rising up from the sand and a beam shooting straight into the sky. There was something foreboding about the desert and Korra almost turned back.

Standing on the top of a dune was a female figure Korra knew, she chased after her but the figured walked away. Desperate to be reunited, Korra kept running up the hill, through the burning sand, reaching the top in few minutes. Now in the desert she could feel heat of the sun and the light beam and still she felt cold on the inside. Out in the distance the figure walked away, with her black shadow cast out behind her. She walked alone and Korra fallowed her. Alone. The two were alone in this vast waist land, alone.

Korra fallowed the figure passed the ruins of a culture she did not recognize. As she walked the ruins became more whole. Small rocks became stones, which grew into walls and pillars. She walked past a fallen tower with flecks of red paint still clinging to the sides. There were words written in gold but she didn't know the language so Korra passed it by and kept walking. She passed a great ship half way sunk in the sand and rusty from decay.

The sun beat down on Korra burning her with its rays and never moving from its place in the sky regardless of the house that passes. Korra came to a flag waving in the wind and pulled it down to wrap around her like a cape. She never took her eyes off the figure as she made her new covering. She wondered if the sun burned the figure too. As Korra fallowed she realized the figure was headed towards the pyramid and the great beam of light. Suddenly, Korra felt hesitant. What pulled her towards the desert now pulled her away from the beam. She took a step back and the figure stopped and turned to face her. They may have been a mile apart but Korra knew that face and she ran towards the figure resuming their chase across the burning sand.

The figure led Korra to a temple with broken wooden gates that had been carved by a master. The now broken splintered wood felt like a waste to Korra as she walked passed it in to the temple. The doomed ceilings high above her made Korra feel small, smaller than she had ever felt before.

The Temple's walls had dry cracked red paint and dusty sand ground in to the red and gold carpet. Korra glanced at the walls and saw the faint black and white brush strokes of a story now almost worn away by the passing ages. Wiping away the dust she saw two animals fighting. She looked away and saw the figure standing by an orb on a pedestal the figure made a stabbing motion at the orb and a set of doors opened behind her. The woman smiled before walking through them.

Korra ran to the doors but they closed before she reached them. Korra turned to the orb and picked it up. She made the same motion but nothing happened. Frowning Korra sat on the ground and put the orb in her lap and meditated. This did nothing but frustrate her. Korra stood up and kicked the orb. It flew through the air glowing more and more red as it bounced off the walls and finally landed on the pedestal. The doors opened behind her and she ran through the anger and frustration she had felt fading with every step she took away from the ord. Korra paused and turned back to the orb knowing, or maybe hoping, somehow that if she left that glowing ball behind she'd never feel anger again. Korra smiled as a weigh lifted off her chest and she quickly resumed her chase.

The new hall lead her out into the desert again where the woman was still just as far ahead as she ever was. Now the flags were green and gold and the so was the paint on the broken buildings. They were still buried in the sand but less broken then the ones behind her. She passed golden statues of beautiful men and woman she didn't know. Korra subbed her toe on the severed head of a statue. Korra picked it up and held back a sob. She knew the face of the statue and once she had loved the golden man's flesh counter part, and he had loved her back but his duty and search for power had ultimately pulled them apart. Korra wanted to feel rage for whoever had done this to his statue but none came just the memory of it that faded almost as fast as she recalled it.

Korra held the head in her arms and kept walking forward coming to another temple with another orb and door. This time the woman hugged the orb and the doors opened. Korra rushed to the door but they closed too quickly for her to even get half way there. Sighing Korra looked at the door then looked at the gold head. She felt a need to keep it, to hold on to it. She wanted it more than anything else. Korra looked around the room and saw skeletons now crumbling to dust holding similar things of gold. She looked back down at the head and placed it at the foot of the orb. The head did not belong to her, just like the man it looked like did not belong to her. The orb glowed green and the doors opened. Korra walked away her feeling of greed and longing fading away.

She was back out in the desert where blue and silver things peeked out from the sand. Korra looked up at the figure, she no longer wanted to chase her but she didn't want to go back either so she kept walking.

An eel hound approached her from the distance and pulled at her sleeve. Korra brushed the beast off. It tugged on her sleeved again and Korra turned to yell at the beast but the stopped. She saw the broken saddle on it's back. Tucked in one of the saddlebags was a small gold ring hanging from a chain. Korra felt a pang of sadness and reached out for the ring but the hound moved too quickly. It raced past her and passed the woman. Korra gave chase across the burning sands.

In a new temple, with a new orb, and a new door, she passed through leaving her sadness and the eel hound behind. She lost her joy in another temple. Her fear too was gone by the time she was at the foot of the pyramid with the light beam. Korra felt nothing but she did not feel at peace. As she looked up at the towering beam of light, she knew she would never be a peace while she still drew breath but some how she hoped the pillar of light could give her peace anyway.

The figure stood at the bottom and held out her hand her eyes and black hair shining in the sun. Korra took the woman's hand and the two walked up the pyramid together. They reached the top and stood by the large pillar of light surrounded by glass orbs. One of the orbs was broken.

The woman touched the light pillar and pointed to away to where they had come from. Korra turned to look at the waste land behind her. She watched as the sand turned to water and was swept away by a great wind and the buildings put themselves back together. Korra stood by as, from the destruction, Republic City rose up and the ghosts of all the innocent people slain began to walk the streets as shadows. The spirit portal Kuvira had created ten years before burst through the earth in the distance.

Korra pulled the flag she had worn on her journey and saw it turn into a Fire Nation flag. Unable to believe that she was in the real world Korra hugged the flag close. She felt the anger she had left behind flair up and one of the orbs glowed red.

The woman tapped Korra's shoulder and pointed to beam of light that now faded leaving a man and a young girl lying in a red pool. Korra looked at the woman and the little girl. They were the same. Korra felt the sadness she had left behind come back and the blue orb glowed to life. The woman faded away and now Korra was truly alone. Behind her the waves retook the city turning back to sand. Korra took the flag and laid it over the two bodies.

Feeling the tears run down her cheek Korra backed away to the edge of the pyramid. She had tried to outrun her emotions, outrun her guilt but they caught up to her and the orbs glowed their respective colors. Except joy, the orb that should have glowed with the color of joy stayed shattered. Korra reached the edge of the pyramid. The orb of fear glowed brightly but the orbs of sadness and longing glowed even brighter. Korra looked at the bodies of her husband and daughter under the flag.

.o.

In spirit world there is a desert of ruins and the sand run red with the blood of the avatar that created it.


End file.
